Highs and lows of Blues history

[Excellence9]

I haven't always followed NHL so closely as I have the last couple of years and would like to get a fast course of the history of the team that I have grown to love!
And my guess is that there's more people here who would like to get to know their favorite team a little better and I have no doubt that the knowledge exists on this board.

So what are your personal highlights and low points of the Blues history for as long as you have followed them?

Click to read more...

 

[542365]

Low point: Pronger trade without a doubt. Not sure if that will ever be beaten.

 

[Colt 55]

Low point: intentionally forfeiting an entire draft worth of picks

 

[Brian39]

This isn't the best moment in Blues history by any stretch, but it is my favorite.

The playoff clinching game against the Blue Jackets in 2008-2009. In order to clinch that night we had to win and Nashville had to lose. Nashville lost with about 8 minutes left in our game and we were winning 3-1. The Scott went absolutely nuts and I'm pretty sure the entire crowd was standing for the rest of the game. Columbus gave up with about 5 minutes left and allowed us to basically run out the clock.

That was the first trip back to the playoffs after the lockout ended our absurd playoff streak and was really rewarding for the fans that stuck with a few years of brutal hockey. As is Blues tradition, a great moment was soon followed by crushing disappointment when we got swept in the first round.

 

[Robb_K]

Low point: intentionally forfeiting an entire draft worth of picks

That - and the threat of the team moving to Saskatoon, and The Pronger Trade, and the Gilmour trade, and The Joey Mullen trade, and also losing Scott Stevens when Brenden Shanahan was signed, Losing Adam Oates was also bad.

High points: Glenn Hall in 1967-68 finals vs. Canadiens, President's Cup team, this coming season. Berenson's 6 goal game, Ron Stewart and Ron Atwell for Red Berenson and Barc Plager.

 

[542365]

Stevens/Shanny fiasco is pretty low too...Such ********.

 

[Lucifer T Longfellow]

Low point for me was the 2001 Western Conf. finals where Turek imploded....... again.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

This isn't the best moment in Blues history by any stretch, but it is my favorite.

The playoff clinching game against the Blue Jackets in 2008-2009. In order to clinch that night we had to win and Nashville had to lose. Nashville lost with about 8 minutes left in our game and we were winning 3-1. The Scott went absolutely nuts and I'm pretty sure the entire crowd was standing for the rest of the game. Columbus gave up with about 5 minutes left and allowed us to basically run out the clock.

That was the first trip back to the playoffs after the lockout ended our absurd playoff streak and was really rewarding for the fans that stuck with a few years of brutal hockey. As is Blues tradition, a great moment was soon followed by crushing disappointment when we got swept in the first round.

The end of that game, after being literally in last place in the Western Conference, to clinch the playoff spot (and ultimately the 6th seed after they beat Colorado the next game) brought tears to my eyes. It was the culmination of so much effort and overcoming seemingly impossible odds. Murray deserves a lot of credit for holding that team together and coaxing that kind of 2nd half effort.

I'm a relatively new Blues fan (since the Kitchen days...I'm probably one of the few new fans the team attracted during their suckiest lowpoint) but that is probably the most special moment I've seen.

I was present at the Game 2 this past season, and when Tarasenko tied it up....the electricity and energy were incredible. I imagine if I'd been there for the Blue Jackets game it would have felt similar.

The guys on the ice could barely bring the puck up ice, and there were still several minutes left. But you knew there was zero chance Columbus was going to score.

 

[Multimoodia]

Losing Adam Oates was also bad.

Honestly, I was so pissed at Oates at that point I didn't care. I understood the first contract re-negotiation, but the second one had me ready to buy his plane ticket to get him out of here.

 

[bleedblue1223]

High: Brett Hull hat trick in my first game.

Low: Don't want to talk about it, it's just too depressing.

 

[The Note]

High- I've been a Blues "fan" my whole life (as much as a child can really be a fan) but didn't really become a real die until around 08. So a personal favorite of mine was being at the series clincher against the sharks, in particular the Perron go ahead goal in the third. It was so loud and exciting, unlike anything I'd personally experienced.




Low-Basically everything after that. In particular this past PO's. Having to turn off game 6 because the third was so ugly was a bad, bad feeling.

 

[HockeyGuy73]

Low points - Turek against Colorado
Yzerman / Casey game 7 Double OT
MacInnis eye injury (My favorite player of all time, even before he came here.)

High points-
Monday night miracle
The 5 goal come back in the third period against the Leafs.
Courtnall running the goalie against LA
Cup Parade in June 2015.

 

[Note Worthy]

In an effort not to repeat the same ones I tried to think of some different ones that aren't my all time favorite but still are in my head...

High- Ken Hitchcock taking over and us almost winning the president trophy (missed by just a few points) after several years of not making the playoffs. It was just great to have a winning team again and it came out of nowhere. I, for one, didn't think Hitch coming in would instantly turn us around. That was awesome to see.

Low- When Payne was our coach and we started with the 9-1-1 season. Then in Columbus Oshie breaks his ankle, we lose the game big time, and go on an incredible decline and miss the playoffs. That sucked after so much promise after a great start.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Trying to think of recent highs and one that in a few of these threads hasn't been mentioned yet, was Perron's goal against Chicago in his return. It was an absolute beauty of a goal and seeing his reaction and the reaction of the team, it was just like Ankiel's home run when he made his comeback.

Just re-watched Ankiel's homer, La Russa only showed that type of emotion after a World Series championship lol.

 

[Multimoodia]

Lowlights from during my fandom:

Watching the Blues almost move to some postage-stamp city in Canada (100K? We call those towns here...) with the dawning realization there was nothing we as fans could do. All thanks to a group of executives from Purina whose pictures should be under the heading "duplicitous" in a dictionary. In particular one (the most self-aggrandizing son of a ***** I've ever had the misfortune to deal with) whose grave I hope still bears the upside down Blues flag a previous fan so helpfully put there.

Then watching that same group refuse to send anyone to the 1983 draft all because the NHL quite intelligently blocked the sale to freaking Saskatoon. Otherwise that franchise would have folded or been relocated to KC or something by now.
Also Saskatoon is a stupid name.

Trading off Joe Mullen and Perry Turnbull because they wanted more than minimum wage.

Trading off Doug Gilmour because of the attempted fraud that the people responsible for were never punished enough for.

Letting Jacques Demers walk because he actually thought he was a decent coach and deserved salary equivalent to his ability. The Blues thought anyone could do what he did...whereupon he moves to Detroit and wins the Jack Adams.
Yeah.

Trading off Dirk, Momesso, Courtnall and Ronning for Butcher and Quinn, all because the Professor listened entirely too much to that meathead Sutter. Thanks to Sutter's inability to understand that as much as hard work is a skill, the ability to put the puck in the net (or keep it out) is a more important skill basically insured the Blues were going to be a one line team. This cost them against Minnesota.
Also, this would only be the first time Vancouver would take advantage of the Blues. Three years later the Blues would have to trade away Brown and Hedican (why, an entire line of defense!) for Janney after he refused to report to the Canucks. I'm glad his wife left him.

Losing Scott Stevens because the NHL wanted to make an example of the Blues. Lou Lameirello should have asked for Hull, Oates and Stevens, Judge Houston would have no doubt awarded them to the Devils as well.
Then, years later, the Blues would receive another knife-wound thanks to the NHL wanting to make an example and Pat Quinn being more concerned with screwing the Blues over on the way out than he had been with running the team for the past however many years.

Hiring Mike Keenan and then giving him the keys to the castle. Not just coach but GM, thus allowing him to do all sorts of really wonderful things:
- Acquiring and then driving off Wayne Gretzky simply because he was probably the most unpleasant person in hockey at that time
- Driving off Brett Hull
- Driving off Curtis Joseph to bring in Grant "Tubbo" Fuhr only for him to accomplish...exactly what Joseph had always done.
- Refusing to practice the powerplay no matter how bad it became because NHL players should know how to score.
- Trying to move all Blues games on Saturdays to the afternoon so he could get home in time to watch Hockey Night in Canada

Keenan's house should have been burnt to the ashes and the ground salted to ensure nothing could ever be put there again.

Watching Kypreos landing on Fuhr and realizing the Blues were done for.

Watching the Wings beat the Blues every single year. Including 1996.


Laurie buying the team and putting Mark Sauer in place as the president of the Blues. The Blues and society would have been better served if Mark Sauer had been drug from his office and (Censored) (Censored) (Censored)

Watching that ****** Nolan single handedly kill the Blues in 2000 and almost again in 2001.

Watching Turek prove over and again that he was the epitome of a regular season goalie

Laurie putting his nose in to the operations and demanding Pleau acquire Tkachuk and then later Weight. Thus reducing the Blues' considerable depth for a left winger who could join Turek in the regular season only award category.

Seeing Hasek shun the Blues and instead forcing a trade to the Wings. Then forcing the Sabres to take much less talent back giving the Wings an absolute sweet-heart deal.

Watching MacInnis injure his eye from a Shark (a team I hated at that point) ending his career.


Watching the Blues trade Pronger for scraps.

Hearing about Erik Johnson destroying his knee on a drunken golf outing. (Thanks Tkachuk!)

Perron's concussion

Watching the Blues go down in the first round two years in a row in The.Exact.Same.Fashion.


That only covers the ones I thought of just now.

 

[Multimoodia]

Highlights:

1991 was full of them.
Hull was insane, he was scoring in ways no-one ever should and the Blues were able to score with anyone. The forward lines were at least two and at times three deep with a nice mix of youth and veterans.
The defense was a nice combination of tough and mobile (Stevens, Cavallini, Brown, Snepts, Dirk, Featherstone) although the weak link was definitely the goalie.

I was irritated beyond belief when the Blues traded with Vancouver, however when they came back against Detroit in the first round (particularly when Hull scored the goal that let the Blues take the 2-1 lead) after being down 3-1 in the series...I started believing. That game was fantastic.

The Blues sweeping the Hawks in 93, everyone bowing to Joseph in the stands after he made one ridiculous save after another...watching Belfour lose his mind after he interfered with Hull behind the net...listening to the Arena chant Bel-Four perfectly...

Courtnall flattening Roenick after his goal in 1996. The twerp had been slashing and hitting high the entire game and the refs were completely oblivious to anything going on in the game. That was sweet, sweet revenge even if the Blues did lose.

The Blues sweeping the Stars in 2001 was great too. Final game, Pronger scores over a sprawling Belfour and you can see him just give up. Head hits the ice in exhaustion and disbelief. Hatcher contemplates the meaning of life before realizing that he doesn't have sufficient mental capacity to do so.

Checketts buying the team and putting JD in charge of operations. Greatest thing that could have happened to the team.

When the Blues qualified for the playoffs for the first time after the lockout, it was like coming home again.

Watching the Blues beat San Jose in game 5. That was the loudest I think the Kiel (Scotttrade, whatever) has ever been.

That first game back for Perron after the concussion when he scored in the first period. Goosebumps.

 

[The Grouch]

...
- Trying to move all Blues games on Saturdays to the afternoon so he could get home in time to watch Hockey Night in Canada
...

WTF? I've never heard that story before, but that sounds exactly like something he would do.

Nice post, Multimoodia!

 

[Multimoodia]

WTF? I've never heard that story before, but that sounds exactly like something he would do.

Nice post, Multimoodia!

I think that tale is public consumption, but I can't swear to it. I heard a lot of stuff over the years and I can never remember which ones the public has heard and which ones not.
Comes from having family that used to own season tickets in a large section in the lower areas, you get to interact and hear about all sorts of things.

A lot of them are not correctly rated for a board like this one.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Multi, you've always been entertaining, but after this summer, you are going into the HF rafters.

 

[Multimoodia]

Multi, you've always been entertaining, but after this summer, you are going into the HF rafters.

From a noose I suspect.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Well we gotta break the curse somehow...

 

[simon IC]

High point - the Brian Sutter led Monday Night Miracle. He may have been a "meathead" in personnel decisions, but he was the best player the Blues ever had, Imo. No. 11 still hangs from the rafters of Scottrade for a reason. Low point -Judge Houston and the Scott Stevens debacle.

 

[anlongo13]

Long time lurker, liked this topic so thought I would finally join the party.

Highs:
Going to my first game in 1996. Game 6 against Detroit. Yes the game before the Yzerman dagger. Lost that game too, but was immediately hooked. First pro game I ever went to in any sport, still my most favorite memory.

Game 2 against the Sharks a couple years ago. After not winning a playoff game in years, the first goal they scored it felt like the roof was going to blow off. The brawl at the end was insane as well.

Hiring of Hitchcock. He rubs a lot of people the wrong way. But it was looking like a pretty average season under Payne, and Hitchcock came in and really did an amazing job.

But most of all, watching Brett Hull do his thing any and every game. Such an exciting player to watch.

Lows:
Only 26, so I was young and didn't really know what was happening during the Butcher trade or the Mike Keenan era. But reading back into it, I definitely don't know if I could have handled it. Such a dark time with terrible decisions being made.

Seeing the team get gutted and go through the re-building process. Just had to buckle in and suffer through a few rough years.

This past season probably stands out the most. Losing to a team I thought we were better than in the series. So many chances to put them away, and failing to score the big goal. Obviously the Miller trade. I would do it again in a heartbeat, but the guy really was a let-down.

Seeing all the players or personnel come through the organization, only to go off and win the Cup with another franchise. Makes you want to pull your hair out.

Lots of other lows, but those aren't fun as fun to talk about. It's all part of loving your team.

 

[Spektre]

The lowest of lows was the Yzerman shot... it's still crushing...

One of the best memories is out of the ordinary. For those who don't know Hull has dual citizenship with Canada & the US. Canada snubbed Hull back in the day for the World Cup days so he was more than happy to play for the US.

The whole '96 World Cup where Hull shined and Canada booed him when he touched the puck was a very cool time. Plus we beat Canada in the finals that year in what was a wicked mean series.

I know it's not a true "Blues" moment but Hull was a Blue and it was great to see him stand out vs all the other HOF players in that series.

 

[DeuceNine]

So many on both sides...

Highlight -- Seeing Hull get his 500th against the Kings with the hattie. If memory serves, he actually had four that night (boys kept feeding him in the slot), but one got waved off for some bogus reason.

Lowlight -- Watching us blow the series against Detroit, also ironically in '96. Forget the Yzerman goal -- that collapse was a team effort. Not beating Osgood in OT with that lineup was inexcusable.